The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that a salmonella outbreak linked to pistachios has infected at least 11 people in nine states in the US, with two of them landing up in the hospital due to salmonella infection. Following the fears of salmonella contamination, the grower has recalled pistachios with the brand names of Paramount Farms, Trader Joe's and Wonderful.

The CDC said people in the age group of 9 to 69 years reported falling ill on December 12 with similar symptoms. Among the affected state are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Virginia and Washington. A detailed list of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo and the number of cases in each state is available on the Case Count Map page.

The symptoms of the salmonella infection, which begin from 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the bacteria, include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever and abdominal cramps.

“Collaborative investigative efforts of state, local and federal public health and regulatory officials indicate that pistachios produced by Wonderful Pistachios are a likely source of this outbreak”, said the CDC, adding an investigation was underway.

In a news release related to the recall, Wonderful Pistachios said its products have a 13-digit lot code and the numbers are available on the company's website. “Wonderful Pistachios takes food safety matters very seriously and is working closely with health officials to identify the source of the problem”, the company said.

Based in California, Wonderful Pistachios has suggested consumers to either throw the listed pistachios away or return the lot code portion of the packaging by mail or to the store at which they bought the nuts to get a refund. Each year, salmonella can be blamed for 1 million cases of food-borne illness in the US. On an average, 19,000 of these cases lead to hospitalizations and 380 cases prove fatal.